a) Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a front sole holding device according to the preamble of claim 1.
b) Background Art
A front sole holding device is already known (DE-PS 34 37 725) which is suitable for cross-country skiing, as well as for downhill skiing, and can be converted in a corresponding manner. According to a preferred construction of this known sole holding device, a plug-in axle is provided which is held in lateral bearing blocks, the front edge of the sole of the ski boot being slid under the plug-in axle for downhill skiing, wherein the plug-in axle serves as a sole hold-down device and is inserted through the bearing bore holes of the bearing blocks, as well as through a bearing bore hole in the ski boot sole, for cross-country skiing. A disadvantage in this construction consists, on the one hand, in the fact that the plug-in axle, as a loose part, can get lost when converting the binding from cross-country skiing to downhill skiing and vice versa. Further, the bearing bore hole in the ski boot can become obstructed as a result of snow and ice, so that it is difficult to guide the plug-in axle through this bearing bore hole. Finally, it can be cumbersome in difficult terrain to hold the ski boot at a distance over the surface of the ski in such a way that the bearing bore holes are aligned in the bearing blocks and the bearing bore hole in the boot sole in order to insert the plug-in axle.
A ski binding is already known (U.S. Pat. No. 4,392,666) in which a reinsertion at the front sole holding device when changing from cross-country skiing to downhill skiing is unnecessary, since the front support bearing remains in the same position with respect to the ski boot for both types of use; however, a special mounting is required at the sole of the boot in this binding. This mounting comprises a base body which is screwed on at the sole of the boot and two lateral holders which are constructed so as to be resilient and cooperate with an axle held on a bearing block, wherein the axle is rounded at its ends and the holders comprise cup-like recesses for receiving these ends. The ski boot is accordingly held at a distance from the ski surface, so that cross-country skiing is possible. However, a disadvantage consists in the fact that special mountings making up a part of the bindings are required at the boot, which mountings render the ski boot unsuitable for use without the ski, i.e. for traversing terrain. An additional protection for this binding part arranged on the ski boot is required even for short distances, so that loose parts are again present.
The problem described above does not exist in another known ski binding (DE-OS 22 31 058), since no mounting parts which constantly remain on the boot are necessary; but in this case the ski boot is securely connected with an additional plate by means of a swivel axle projecting through the boot sole, which additional plate comprises a recess in the front area in order to make it possible to swivel the boot relative to this additional plate. This additional plate is clamped into the jaws of a conventional downhill ski binding, wherein the ski boot can be secured in the heel area relative to this additional plate for downhill skiing. As was also the case in the known binding already discussed in the beginning, a disadvantage in this construction consists in that a plug-in axle must be guided through the sole of the boot, which brings up the problems related to such a plug-in axle which were mentioned in the beginning.